Rodney King

Profession: Victim of Police ViolenceWhy Famous:Rodney King, an African American construction worker was on parole for robbery when after a car chase in Los Angeles he was stopped and beaten by LA police officers in 1991. The beating was filmed and shown around the world. Four of the police officers were acqitted of assault in a Los Angeles court, sparking the 1992 LA riots in which 53 people were killed. Two of these officers were subsequently convicted of violating King's civil rights. King was later awarded US$3.8 million compensation in a federal civil rights case but for the rest of his life struggled to come to terms with the events and his personal addictions, accidentally drowning in 2012.